'This Week' Transcript: Hillary Clinton

CAIRO, Feb 20, 2011

Page 4 of 16

AMANPOUR: President Obama igniting a national conversation about
which Americans should feel the pain of the budget axe. With pitched
battles going on right now here in Washington and in statehouses from
Florida to Wisconsin to California, with me now, our roundtable,
George Will, Congressman Steve Southerland, a Republican freshman from
Florida, he was elected to public office for the very first time last
November and sent here to Washington on a mission to cut spending.
Also with us, ABC senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl and
political strategist Donna Brazile, who calls herself a labor
Democrat.

Thank you all for being here. So, George, Wisconsin. Is this
the sort of battle that we're going to see shaping up around the
country? Is this really the sort of political and philosophical
debate that's going on right now about what these cuts are going to
mean?

WILL: It would have been even if the president hadn't
intervened. But in the span of three days, Christiane, he first
submits a budget that would increase the federal deficit and, two days
later, he mobilizes his party, his own political machine, and
organized labor, which is an appendage to his party, to sabotage
Wisconsin's attempt to do what he will not do, which is deal with the
insolvency of their government. In doing so, he has set the stage for
2012 by saying the Democratic Party is the party of government, not
just in having an exaggerated view of the scope and competence of
government, but because its base is in public employees.

AMANPOUR: So, Donna, mobilizing his troops, sabotaging the
effort to cut the budget, he did use the word "assault," the
president. Is that too much? I mean, what is going on here?
BRAZILE: Well, first of all, they're entering day seven of the
protests. And my recollection is that President Obama commented on it
in day four of the protest. So the fact is, is that this is a
grassroots movement that had nothing to do with people or politicians
in Washington, D.C. This has everything to do with the workers there
in Wisconsin and all across the country who are feeling the effects of
these draconian budget cuts.

Look, state and local workers have taken the brunt of a lot of
these cuts. And they're willing to come to the table to talk to the
governor to put forward more wage cuts, more pension -- pay up more
money for their pension, more for their health care. Why won't the
government sit down with them? That's all they want. They want the
governor to sit down with them, to talk about these items, but they
want their collective bargaining right, their voice at the table
removed from the discussion.

AMANPOUR: Is this a defining moment for -- for the labor
movement?

BRAZILE: Absolutely. Look, union membership is at an all-time
low over the previous 20-year high. This is an assault on workers
across the country. And people believe that they're using the
pretense of a budget battle to destroy collective bargaining rights.

AMANPOUR: So, Representative Southerland, a freshman to this
process, is this about fiscal responsibility? Or what is happening?
Because it's happening in your state, as well.

SOUTHERLAND: It is. And as you know, with nearly all of the
states requiring a balanced budget amendment, they don't have any
choice. The governors have to balance their budget. I know our own
governor, Governor Scott, we see similar measures being taken in the
state of Florida.